Jonathan saw life as an Adventure

Life, Adventure or Battle

By William M. Self

Jonathan saw life as an Adventure

His father Saul saw it as a Battle

How do you see life

  Saul was sitting under a pomegranate tree.

He had 600 of his fighting men with him.

While the Philistines were waiting for them

to come out of their holes and fight…

Saul’s son, Jonathan was tired of sitting

around drinking pomegranate juice.

Jonathan and his armor bearer left

the camp without anyone knowing.

Jonathan said to His armor bearer…

"Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows.

Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder

the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few."

Jonathan stood out in the open for the Philistines to see him.

When they did they said…

 Come and “we’ll teach you a lesson”.

Jonathan took that as a sign God was with

him and climbed up to the Philistines.

In a half acre area, two men kill twenty.

God set off a panic among the Philistines.

Saul’s men went out and got a victory…

And many Israelites who were

with the Philistines came home.

Saul and his men looked at the situation

as a battle and did nothing.

Jonathan and his armor bearer

 saw the situation as an adventure.

An adventure that if they acted, God would act.

Many of us as Christians are sitting around

under the pomegranate tree waiting for God.

We look at the situations of life

and see it as a battle and struggle.

Congregations are crying in prayer

for God to destroy their enemies.

But two people full of faith and hope saw life differently.

They saw life as an adventure, not a battle.

 Their adventure ignited the congregation

and brought God’s people back home.

Today, right now, how do you see your situation?

Change your attitude from a battle mind set to an adventure.

Stir up faith and hope.

“Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf.

 Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving,

 whether by many or by few."

 

  

Scripture Reading

Daniel 11:32 KJV

32 And such as do wickedly against the

covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries:

but the people that do know their God

 shall be strong, and do exploits.

1 Samuel 14:1-23 NIV

1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said

 to the young man bearing his armor,

"Come, let's go over to the Philistine outpost on

the other side." But he did not tell his father.

2 Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah

 under a pomegranate tree in Migron.

With him were about six hundred men,

3 among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod.

He was a son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub son of Phinehas,

 the son of Eli, the LORD's priest in Shiloh.

No one was aware that Jonathan had left.

4 On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended

to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff;

 one was called Bozez, and the other Seneh.

5 One cliff stood to the north toward Micmash,

the other to the south toward Geba.

6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come,

let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows.

Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf.

 Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving,

 whether by many or by few."

7 "Do all that you have in mind," his armor-bearer said.

"Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul."

 8 Jonathan said, "Come, then; we will cross

over toward the men and let them see us.

9 If they say to us, 'Wait there until we come to you,'

 we will stay where we are and not go up to them.

10 But if they say, 'Come up to us,' we will climb up, because

that will be our sign that the LORD has given them into our hands."

11 So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost.

"Look!" said the Philistines. "The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes

 they were hiding in." 12 The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan

and his armor-bearer, "Come up to us and we'll teach you a lesson."

So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, "Climb up after me;

 the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel."

13 Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet,

with his armor-bearer right behind him.

The Philistines fell before Jonathan,

and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him.

14 In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer

killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.   

15 Then panic struck the whole army — those in the camp and field,

and those in the outposts and raiding parties — and the ground shook.

It was a panic sent by God.